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Cruel R ealization
     
                  “I will not do it.”  Olivia Hernandez stood face to face staring into the dark eyes of Cassandra, the wife of the high commander.
     
                  “You must.”  Cassandra demanded with no change of tone in her voice.
     
                  Olivia knew that Cassandra was fully capable of terrible actions.  She had witnessed Cassandra in action and had no desire to see any more.  When you have seen a person physically choke the life out of another person, you tended to act warily around that person in the future.
     
                  “Why me?”  Olivia’s voice revealed her desperation.
     
                  “Because it must be you.”
     
                  “Why?”
     
                  Cassandra turned away.  Olivia watched her body language searching for clues as to what she was thinking.  She and Cassandra had been thrown together under some very stressful circumstances and the truth was that neither really trusted the other. 
     
                  “What will it take for you to trust me, Olivia?”  Cassandra turned around quickly to face Olivia as she spoke.
     
                  Olivia was surprised by the question.  Cassandra was reaching out to her, but why?  What made her so important?  Why did it have to be her?  She didn’t know how to respond.  She felt unable to form a response.
     
                  “Okay, I’m going to trust you.”  Cassandra finally said in desperation.
     
                  “What does that mean?”
     
                  “Hold on.”  Cassandra turned back around and spoke quietly into her communication strip.
     
                  Within moments an air transport vehicle appeared in the skies above them and slowly descended to the ground.  Olivia was amazed at how quiet it was as it operated.  She had only heard rumors of these vehicles and had never seen one personally.  To be honest, she had doubted that such a thing existed.  Now the side panel slid up and she stood amazed at its sparkling interior. 
     
                  “Come with me.”  Cassandra said in a stilted manner.
     
                  Olivia wondered if she had pushed Cassandra too far, but as she stepped inside the transport, she forgot all about those concerns.  Her heart beat wildly as she followed Cassandra to a series of modules.  Cassandra sat down in one and it immediately secured her in place.  Olivia did the same with the same result.  She felt safe, but still free to move her arms and legs about.  This was as up to date as it came. 
     
                  “Impressed?”  Cassandra asked as the vehicle lifted up and began to take them to wherever they were going.
     
                  Olivia looked around and then back at Cassandra as she replied, “Who wouldn’t be?  I’ve never seen anything like this.
     
                  “Nobody has.  This is the prototype for a whole new form of transportation.”
     
                  “How did you get it?”
     
                  Cassandra reached across and patted Olivia’s hands.  Olivia noticed that the restraints moved with Cassandra and though they continued to hold her securely, they didn’t seem to affect her range of motion. 
     
                  “You are a smart one, Olivia.  But for now it’s better that you don’t ask such questions.  We are in the early beginnings of a revolution and unfortunately such beginnings require hard choices.  I am asking you to make one of those hard choices.”
     
                  “What you are asking me to do is monstrous.”
     
                  “I know you believe that.  I hope to show you why that isn’t true.”
     
                  “Why can’t we just take out your